1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to projectors.
2. Related Art
In the past, a projector which modulates three color lights: R (red), G (green), and B (blue) lights by three liquid crystal panels (light modulating devices), combines the modulated color lights by a cross dichroic prism (a light combining optical device), and projects the resultant light onto a screen has been known.
In such a projector, the light modulating device is integrally attached to the light combining optical device for easier assembly (for example, see JP-A-2009-86195 (Patent Document 1).
In a projector described in Patent Document 1, as a member fixing the light modulating device to the light combining optical device, a plate-like fixing member having an opening through which the light is made to pass and a supporting member which is fixed on the light incidence plane of the light combining optical device and supports the fixing member are provided.
In addition, the light modulating device is screwed to the light incident-side plate face of the fixing member in such a way as to close the opening.
However, with the projector described in Patent Document 1, even when the air is sent to the light modulating device to cool the light modulating device from a direction which is parallel to the plate face of the fixing member, it is difficult to cool the light modulating device effectively.
Specifically, the sent air is split into a light incident side and a light exiting side of the light modulating device.
Then, the air split into the light incident side of the light modulating device circulates along the light incident-side end of the light modulating device and cools the light incident side of the light modulating device.
On the other hand, the air split into the light exiting side of the light modulating device circulates along the light exiting-side plate face of the fixing member. That is, since the light exiting-side end of the light modulating device is positioned in a position offset to the light incident side by a distance corresponding to the thickness of the fixing member, even when the air circulates along the light exiting-side plate face of the fixing member, the air is not effectively sent to the light exiting-side end of the light modulating device.
This makes it impossible to send the air effectively to both the light incident-side end and the light exiting-side end of the light modulating device, making it difficult to cool the light modulating device effectively.